


When Autumn Met Frost - Chapter 1

by Sasiefox



Series: The Autumn Frost [1]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: F/M, Mythology - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-04 21:57:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10291046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sasiefox/pseuds/Sasiefox
Summary: A sort of Mythological take on Jack Frost but trying to keep within the RotG universe. - Jack meets the seasonal spirit of Autumn shortly after he's become Jack Frost. Adventures and Dangers ensue.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

When the Earth was new the Maiden of the Sun and the Man in the Moon watched over all the Earth but of course as more and more beings were born even they couldn’t keep their eyes on all. The beings, which were humans and animals and all creatures big and small alike, needed balance in their world. Something to balance the nature growing around them; to rule it and control it. So Sun and Moon created the spirits of Summer and Winter. Twin brothers but they were exact opposites.   
Summer brought warm weather and sunshine, which brought the humans out and helped them work to better themselves like growing food and having fun.   
Winter brought the cold and snow, which made the plants rest and brought the humans indoors where they spent time with their families.   
This arrangement worked well for quite some time but soon a problem arose. Summer sometimes couldn’t help but be too hot. Crops died from drought and humans had to retreat indoors again. And Winter was far too cold at times. It came too suddenly and the humans often lost some food or themselves to these harsh seasons. This made Summer and Winter terribly sad. They never wanted to hurt the humans and so begged the sun and the moon for a solution. Sun and Moon were aware of the problem for some time but they had a plan. There needed to be a middle ground between Winter to Summer and Sumer to Winter. This was how Spring and Autumn came to be. Twin girls, their little sisters. Spring came after Winter and helped the weather gradually get warmer to wake up the plants and animals from their winter sleep. She melted the snow, and brought the rain for the trees and crops. Autumn came after Summer and marked a great change across the land. The humans nick named it The Fall. The leaves turned gold, reds and browns of every shade. Yellows so bright they looked like gold. Reds so red they set the trees on fire. The weather got colder in fall telling the humans it was time to prepare for winter and for the animals to gather food and hibernate. This seasonal family was just what the Earth needed. Not all of the Earth needed every season; and some parts had more of one season than the others but as a hole this kept the Earth in a great balance. With better conditions for living for living the humans thrived but with more humans grew fear and doubt. It was a natural balance and so Sun and Moon created year round mile stones to give wonder, hopes, dreams and memories to the humans.   
Santa Claus was born a man. Sun and Moon saw great things in this man. He brought great joy and wonder to the people he met with the toys he made and so he became known across the land as Santa Claus. But his tale is long and one most everyone knows…   
Next came the Easter Bunny who symbolizes hope and rebirth, kicking off the beauty of Spring with a bang. As centuries went on more were born as humanity created some of their own legends. But this was not about Myths, Legends or Fairy Tales. This part of the story was how Autum met Frost. Jack Frost that is.  
The Man in the Moon created Jack for a special purpose but he wouldn’t figure it out for a few hundred years. Jack was still young. As eternal beings go that is. In winter Jack helped spread snow and frost across the land. As much fun as Jack had with his frost and snow he was lonely. No one knew of him or believed in him as they did with Santa or the Easter Bunny. He didn’t mingle much with the other spirits either. Not that he’d seen very many. He knew of Winter of course and enjoyed his company though found him dull at times. And Winter’s brother Summer. Though Jack hated Summer, well not really, just that he was a hot head. One fateful day Jack stumbled upon Autum in the middle of her changing the green leaves to the spectacle most people enjoyed seeing year after year. Jack was so fascinated by the colors he had never seen before. He was so fascinated that he actually slowed down from his fun of frosting everything to look. He walked around a forest surrounded by the beautiful colors and that’s when he saw her. Autum was distracted coming up with another beautiful color combination for the tree she was standing by. Jack watched her in wonder. He’d never seen anything so beautiful… yup even Spring. Sure jack had seen Spring and her flowers but Spring was so shy. She ran from Jack every time she saw him. Jack discovered why when his frost had hurt one of her flowers. She cried and he never wanted to do that again, though sometimes his frost at the end of winter got out of hand. He just had too much fun. At first he was worried about seeing Autum. He didn’t want her to be afraid of him too, though the weather was colder than in spring and she didn’t seem fazed at all. Autum reminded Jack of himself. Her long wavy brown hair was windblown with leaves of various colors stuck in it and eyes as green as spring grass but there were flecks of shimmering gold coming from the center like a changing leaf. They were full of fun and a little mischief. She enjoyed blowing up the leaves around people and seeing them laugh or stare in awe. Her clothing consisted of a dress that look renaissance era. Empire waist and hugging sleeves made of a material that looked like velvety moss in a lighter green than her eyes and trailed down to almost her feet and faded to a brown like the earth’s dirt. When her hair blew in the wind Jack could see a lace pattern on the back that looked like the veins of a decayed leaf.  
Jack wanted to meet her but he was afraid and so he watched from afar for awhile but without realizing he was getting closer and closer. It wasn’t until he stepped on a twig when he realized how close he had gotten. Closer than ten feet to her. Utterly surprised she spun around at the sound, locking her eyes on his ice blue ones. On instinct she ran from him, as fast as the fall winds.   
“No wait! Please don’t go! I won’t hurt you!” Jack called but Autum was nowhere in sight.  
He knew she hadn’t gone far though. He sensed she was up in the trees watching him and so he decided to show her what he could do. He saw a low hanging branch of leaves and touched the end of his staff to a leaf. From that contact point his frost traveled over every leaf. Autum was indeed watching him from up in the tree tops. She stared in awe at his frost. It mesmerized her at how it sparkled in the light, throwing colors she had never seen. Absentmindedly she went back to the ground level to get a better look but still keeping a cautious eye on Jack.  
“What is that? What did you do?” She asked in wonder.  
“It’s frost. Just something that I do.” He told her.  
“Did you hurt it?” She asked a little sternly.  
“No it’s fine. See for yourself.” He said and she walked up to the tree branch.   
Since it was still day the air was cool but the sun was warm. It was melting the frost. Autum reached up and touched a leaf with her fingers. The frost slid off in a slushy clump. Autum was amazed.  
“Oh… it’s like a protective blanket!” Autum said as she looked at Jack with a bright smile.  
Jack smiled back unable to form words. Autum then turned back to the tree, touching all the leaves Jack had frosted making it fall off like snow. Autum had never gotten to see snow. Jack was pleased by her reaction and made it flurry over her a little. Autum giggled and twirled around.  
“I’m sorry I scared you.” Jack said.  
Autum stopped dancing and smiled softly.  
“It’s alright. You just startled me…” Autum dodged, she didn’t want to concern him with her worries.  
“But how can you be here? Don’t you help my brother Winter? Isn’t it too warm for you?” Autum asked.  
“Nah I make my own cold. Bring the chill to the air. I can go just about any where.” Jack said, “And you… The cold doesn’t bother you?” Jack asked.  
“If it’s too cold it could hurt me but I’m quite comfortable in chilly weather.” Autum said and Jack was pleased.  
“So… What’s your name?” Autum asked as she absent mindedly changed some leaves.   
“Jack Frost.” He said.  
Autum paused as if the name was familiar but the memory wouldn’t come to her so she shook it off.   
“I’m Autum… heh… of course.” Autum said with a giggle.  
“It’s a pleasure.” Jack said with a slight bow as he reached for her right hand, placing a cold kiss upon her fingers.   
Autum ducked her head shyly with a big grin. There was a moment of silence but Autum got excited with an idea.  
“Hey! Can you show me more frosted things!?” She asked with a big grin.  
Jack smirked and nodded.  
“Sure, but can you show me more leaf changing?” He asked and she nodded excitedly.  
She then grabbed his hand, pulling him along a little before taking off.  
“Come on let’s go! There are a few more trees to change and then we get to blow them all off!” She said with excitement and a big smile as she turned to him in mid air while they flew.   
He was happy to see her so excited, he couldn’t explain why.  
She took him to some trees in the forest that hadn’t been fully changed. They stood on a tree branch and Autum touched her right hand to the tree. Jack noticed a ring on her middle finger. It was a copper ring shaped like a maple leaf wrapped around her finger. Like his staff her ring helped hold her power over changing the leaves and wind. Most of the spirits had some special artifact like these. Jack watched with a gapping mouth as the leaves around them exploded in shades of red, gold and browns. The sun was setting and the whole forest looked like fire.  
“Wow.” Was all Jack could say.  
Autum smirked. After all the leaves were changed Jack looked and her and took her hand again, entwining his fingers with hers.  
“Now it’s my turn.” He said and they took off into the forest as evening set in.  
Jack covered everything in his frost. Every tree, every leaf, every blade of hibernating grass. The moon rose and it’s light was so bright the forest looked like it was solid crystal. Autum was speechless, but Jack wasn’t done there. He took her to a little pond. With the tip of his staff he dipped it into the water for just a second. From that point the top of the water froze solid. When the whole pond was frozen Jack slid out to the center of it and spun around holding out a hand to her.  
“Come on. Come here, and no flying.” He said and she raised an eyebrow at him.  
“You mean walk out there on that?” She asked a little fearfully.  
“It’s just ice, it won’t bite.” He said.  
She pouted at him.  
“I know that.” She replied and he challenged her with a smirk.   
She stepped onto the ice feeling confident. He motioned for her to step forward and her confidence faded. She took a few steps forward but it was far too slippery. She had never really walked on ice before. She slipped a few times but Jack caught her before she could fall.  
“I’ve got you.” He said as he wrapped an arm around her waist.  
She smiled shyly, being so close to him but he started to let her go and she panicked.  
“Don’t let go!”  
He laughed.  
“Relax, I won’t.” He said as he held onto her hands, standing in front of her.   
He started gliding backwards on the ice, pulling her with him as if ice skating. They glided around the pond, laughing and having a great time. Jack started spinning them in a circle and after a few turns he pulled her close and they spun faster. Jack lifted off into the air to stop them and they laughed with delight. Jack set them back on the ground. Autum began walking around through the crystal like forest, it was a quiet night. The sky was clear, filled with thousands of stars and a bright moon.  
“So, how come I’ve never met you before?” Autum asked.   
“Well, I’ve not been here very long. Last winter I woke up in a frozen pond, the moon shinning over me. He told me my name and that was it. I met Winter, though he’s a little stuck up and serious… No offence.” He said and Autum shook her head.  
“Older brothers, so serious.” Autum joked, Jack laughed.  
“I’ve met Spring, but she cried.” Jack said with a nervous grin.  
“Did you freeze some of her flowers?”  
“Maybe…”  
“Don’t take it personally. She’s very delicate.”  
“Yeah… and Summer… Don’t like him much. A real hot head. But how come I didn’t see you?” He asked and she paused as if trying to remember something she couldn’t.  
All she remembered was waking up at spring and returning to the spirit realm in her Autumn Woods.  
“Winter came early last year. I slept and at Spring, returned to the Autumn woods. I don’t remember why.” She said and Jack looked concerned, but she smiled.  
“But it happens to restore balance.”She added and he relaxed.  
They walked and talked for a while, enjoying the chilly night.  
“So, how long have you been here?” Jack asked her.  
“Oh… more years than I can count. It’s very…”  
“Lonely…?” Jack finished.  
“Yeah…” She replied with a nod.  
“We could stay together. I mean through the fall at least.” Jack suggested.  
He could tell she longed to be seen as much as he did.  
“I’d like that a lot.” Autum replied with a big smile.  
The sun was rising then and Jack’s frost was melting. Autum got an excited smile on her face.   
“Now we can make the leaves fall. Wanna help?” She asked.  
“You bet!” Jack said and they took off, the wind tailing behind them showering leaves upon the ground.  
“Hey Autum, I’ll race ya.” Jack challenged.  
Autum’s eyes glimmered in mischievous excitement.  
“You think you can do better than I, master of the fall winds?”  
“Yup! I’ve got winds on my side to don’t forget.” He replied.  
“We shall see.” Autum said and the game was on.   
They zipped through tree tops. It was obvious Autum was faster and far better skilled at the task but after a little while they forgot about the race and just had fun. Jack started jumping on tree branches then launching to the next tree. Autum saw how fun that looked and tried it herself. She never thought she could have so much fun. Their fun went on for days. Jack would frost everything at night and they’d skate or slide down tree branches. During the day they would make more leaves fall. And a few nights they didn’t feel like doing anything but lay in a frost covered meadow watching the stars. Jack enjoyed Autum’s company more and more, finally feeling like he wasn’t alone.  
One morning they meant to start more fun but it started snowing. They had lost track of time. It was quickly getting too cold for Autum.  
“Fun’s over. Time for me to go.” She said as she shivered.  
Jack looked sad but nodded.  
“I’ll see you next fall right?” Autum asked.  
“Of course. I’ll be there.”  
“Promise?”  
“I promise.” He said and with a last look Autum disappeared into the sky; returning to the spirit's realm.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After finally having a companionship in Jack, Autum found time to drag. It made her almost stir crazy, wishing she could have slept through the year again. But she found ways to occupy herself. Often envisioning the fun she and Jack would have come the fall.  
At the first sign of Summer’s departure Autum zipped to the mainland, eager for her season to start. But really she was eager to see Jack, worrying that he could have forgotten about her. Autum expected to see Jack when she arrived but found no sign of him. She sighed and figured she had come too early and so got started with her work. She tried to occupy herself with her work but she was impatient and thought the worst of Jack’s absence. She began to convince herself that he had forgotten about her. She walked through the trees absentmindedly changing the leaves. Her worries had left her unmotivated. But as evening began to set Autum got a pleasant surprise. Suddenly a tree beside her began frosting over. Autum grinned hugely and spun around to see Jack standing there smiling. Without hesitation she flew up to him and gave him a big hug. Though after a second she pulled back and pouted at him.  
“You’re late!” She scolded and he laughed.  
“I know. I’m sorry. I got caught up finding the prettiest leaf.” He said.   
His words made her pause briefly, another memory that wouldn’t come to her. She shook it off and raised an eye brow at him.  
“Well show me this leaf then.” She said and he pulled out a beautiful red maple leaf.  
“You could put it in your hair.” He suggested as she took the leaf.  
She smiled and tucked it into her wild hair behind her left ear.  
“So , how do you know it’s the prettiest? I’ve only just started.” She said.  
“Good question, to which I’ve just learned the answer.” He said and she motioned for him to go on. “They’re all the prettiest.” He told her.  
She blushed but playfully pushed him as she laughed.  
“Come on then. Lets add to the collection.” She said and they were off.  
After a day of changing leaves they skated on a pond Jack froze over and talked.  
“How was the Winter?” Autum asked.  
“Cold, snowy, same old fun. Nothing special. And how was your time during winter?” Jack asked.  
“It was… boreing. Sometimes I go to warmer climates to see their Holiday festivities but the Earth is still young. Not very exciting right now.” She said.  
Jack nodded, knowing the feeling.  
“What did you do during the warm months?” Autum asked.  
“Well this year I tried to burst into North’s workshop.” He said.  
Autum’s eyes widened.  
“You didn’t!”  
“Yup. Though I didn’t get past the Yeti’s. Wasn’t expecting them.”   
“Wow! I would love to see in there! I bet it’s amazing.” Autum said.  
“I wanna try again this year.”  
“Oh if you make it, you have to tell me all about it.”  
“Of course!” Jack said.  
Despite their few months of fun together, it was increasingly evident to them just how little time they had together. It was time for them to part ways but Jack didn’t want it to end, he could tell Autum didn’t want it to end either. Thinking quickly Jack stopped her before she could leave.  
“Autum wait!” He called and she turned mid air.  
“Can I visit you, after winter?” He asked and her eyes light up.  
She was so excited she flew down and hugged him. After a second she released him, feeling embarrassed. She giggled in excitement, hardly able to contain her happiness.  
“Yes of course! I’ll see you then. Have fun!” She said and departed.  
Jack smirked as he watched her fly away.

 

With something to look forward to Autum found herself less bored. Though she began freaking out, wanting to make sure her Eternal Autumn woods were perfect. This task distracted her so well that she kept busy right up until Jack arrived.   
When Jack arrived in Autum’s woods he could see she was very distracted so decided to have some fun. He gathered a bunch of fallen leaves that constantly littered the ground and snuck behind her. Without any warning he dumped the leaves right over her head. She shrieked in surprise but turned after a second with a smirk.  
“Oh… yer gonna pay for that!” She threatened playfully.  
She scooped up a bunch of leaves and flew after Jack. He laughed and flew away. Autum was a hair quicker than Jack, being in control of the fall winds herself. She caught up to him and grabbed the back of his shirt and vest. By this point she only had a handful of leaves and shoved them down the back of his shirt. Autum giggled and laughed as they paused mid air. Jack had a mischievous smirk as he removed the leaves. He couldn’t do the same thing to her but her guard was down. He could catch her if he wanted to. There was a huge pile of leaves below them and he made his move. He flew and wrapped his arms around her.  
“Gotcha!” He said and then stopped flying.   
The weight of himself caused them to drop. Autum was so surprised she didn’t react in time and they fell straight into the leaf pile. Leaves flew into the air around them from the force of their fall. They started laughing and just couldn’t stop. Jack was laying on top of her but sat up on his elbows to see her. Being deeper in the leaves, they had engulfed her. She reached out her arm from within the pile. He took it and helped her sit up, brushing the leaves off and away from her. Now her hair looked as if it were replaced by leaves as parts of it were stuck in front of her face. He pulled some of the leaves out and then brushed back her hair to it’s proper place. His fingers brushed her cheek and something like a jolt shot through them, though not really electricity but they both had felt it. Jack looked away in embarrassment but helped her to stand. He stepped away as she brushed the leaves off of herself.  
“So this is the Autumn Woods huh?” Jack asked, trying to act casual.  
“Yup. This is home. Want a tour?” She asked.   
“Sure.” He said.  
Autum showed him everything, even though there wasn’t anything really exciting to see accept maybe her tree house but she avoided that. She felt embarrassed and didn’t know why. There was something deep she was beginning to feel about Jack but didn’t know what it was. She had never felt it before. It filled her with warmth like the last bit of glow from an Autumn sunset. Of course Jack noticed her tree house. It was, after all the biggest tree in the forest.  
“What’s over there?” Jack asked.  
“Oh, it’s just my tree house.” She replied.  
“Can I see it?” Jack asked as he flew towards it, not really giving her a choice.  
“Sure.” Autum said as she flew in front of him.  
The tree was unnaturally big for a maple tree, though since none of the trees died there it didn’t matter. The trunk was hollow with a carved spiral staircase going all the way up. Not that they needed it but it was fun to do things normally. At the top the tree opened up from its branches a little, creating walls and windows curved from branches and a few smaller rooms. The main room was circular still, but larger and lined with sever book shelves. There was a bed, a comfy couch in front of a false fireplace with magical light, a table and chairs and a wooden globe that appeared to me magic. It seemed to show the seasons and weather all around the world at a given time. Jack was speechless as he examined the space. He wandered to a book shelf and noticed the books had dates on them. He took on off and opened it to find page after page of leaves. Jack realized they were some of her favorite leaves from every year she had been the spirit of Autumn. Autum watched him with a smile but panicked when she realized he had picked up the book with last year’s page. Before she could stop him he had seen what was on the page. Next to her leaves was the leaf jack had given her and written beneath it was ‘Jack’s leaf’. Autum looked away shyly. Jack looked at her and smirked but then noticed something odd about the book. The year before he’d been created was missing, and several years before that. The pages looked to have been removed.  
“What happened here?” He asked and Autum went over to see.   
She frowned at the missing pages.  
“I don’t know. I noticed they were missing after we first met. I wanted to ask my brother Winter if he knew but I haven’t been able to find him. Have you seen him?”   
“Not since my first winter. I’m sorry.”   
“I’ve tried to remember those years but it’s like something made up. They’re too simple and the same, like something is missing but it always switches before I see it.” Autum explained as she held her hands to the sides of her head as if it were hurting her.   
Jack placed a hand on her shoulder. She was instantly calmed by his touch. She lowered her hands and looked at him. He smiled reassuringly.  
“Next winter I’ll make sure to look for your brother. I’m sure he can sort this out.” Jack said and she smiled.  
“Thank you Jack.” She said and he pulled her into a hug.  
His hug was of course cold but there was that odd warmth again. It felt good to have contact with another being. Even though they were spirits there was still something human about them, weather it was from a past life or not. They could feel sadness, joy, anger, and even felt tired. Sleep often helped to pass time. Jack was a little taller than Autum and she rested her head on his shoulder. He smelled like the first chill and ice; fresh and crisp air. Jack was feeling similar things as she, though he was just as confused. Since waking up into this world and discovering he were invisible he wished to be seen. He could tell Autum felt the same. Whenever they had come across a human in their fun together he saw that she enjoyed seeing their reaction to her leaves. He hoped that one day the humans would believe in them and be able to see them. Jack couldn’t help but bury his nose into her thick hair as he held her close. He was not surprised that she smelled like leaves and fresh cut wood; he loved it. They realized how long they had been hugging and pulled back to look at each other. The more time they spent together the more they could never be apart again. Before things got awkward again Autum got an idea.  
“Do you want to go swimming?” She asked   
Jack was taken aback but smirked.  
“Sure. Where at?” He asked.  
“A little bit behind my tree there’s a small lake nestled into a mountain side. There’s a little waterfall too that hides a cave.”  
“Sounds great. Lead the way.” He said as he moved to the staircase.   
“I have to change first. I’d sink like a rock in this dress. I’ll meet you there.” She said and he nodded.  
Jack found the lake easily. It sat nestled beside the small mountain that rose out of the forest to serve as a high vantage point where all of the eternal Autumn woods could be seen. Jack set his staff on the ground close to the water’s edge. He then discarded his shirt and vest, not caring if he swam in his pants. He tossed the clothes on top of his staff and waited for Autum. He didn’t have to wait long. He turned as she approached. She looked shy as she fiddled with some of her hair. She was wearing the undergarment to her dress. A simple cream colored once piece jumper type. It hugged her chest at an empire waist like her dress and thin tank top straps. It fit her slimly with a shorts style cut off about mid thigh. Autum was petite and thin like a twig, and looked younger than she was supposed to appear to be. This was only due to her size. Jack smirked.  
“This is great! Let’s get in.” He said and hopped into the water.  
Autum stepped closer to the water’s edge and was suddenly regretting her suggestion to swim.  
“Come on! The water’s great.” He said.  
She raised an eye brow at him.  
“How would you know? Aren’t you always cold?” She said and he laughed.  
“Fair enough, but at least I didn’t freeze it when I jumped in.” He said and her eyes went wide.  
He laughed and swam around. Autum kneeled at the water’s edge and dipped her hand into the water. It was chill but not that chilly. It would still be a shock all at once. Autum was so intent on what she was doing that she didn’t notice what Jack was up to. He dove deep into the water and swam right below her. Autum noticed his absence and looked around.  
“Jack?” She called out but then looked to the water below her but it was too late. He popped out of the water and grabbed her by the arms, pulling her into the water head first. When she surfaced she shrieked and flailed trying to get her bearings. Her hair was the biggest problem. It was so long and thick it weighted her down a little and Jack having pulled her in caused it to be in her face. When she finally got settled she looked at Jack and glared.  
“I’ll get you for that.” She said unable to hold in a smile.  
“You smiled! I’m not in trouble if you smiled.” Jack said.  
“I did not smile.” She said.  
Jack smiled and she struggled not to smile back.  
“Still smiling!” He said as he swam closer.   
He meant to tickle the smile out of her.  
Autum tried to swim away but Jack snatched her and started tickling her by poking her sides. She squirmed and giggled.  
“Say yer not mad and I’ll stop tickling.”  
“Never!” She got out but he only worsened his tickling attack.  
He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back against his chest so she was completely trapped as they waded in the water. She was lauging so hard she could barely breath but finally gave in.  
“Ok I give!” She said breathlessly as she laughed.  
“Gotta say it first.”  
“I’m not bad! I’m not mad!” She forced out and he stopped.  
He held his arm around her, letting her catch her breath. She leaned back into him a little and looked up at the stars. Night had fallen in the woods and the moon was rising. The eternal relms of the spirits of the seasons mirrored a day night cycle like the Earth. It helped to mark time. Jack moved to make them lean back to float in the water but Autum freaked out and went tense. Jack laughed at her mistrust in him.  
“Relax I was going to make us lean back and float.” He said.  
“You see what trickery gets you.” Autum scolded a little but Jack smiled.  
“Just a little fun, no trickery.”   
“I don’t know if I can float.” She said.  
“Sure you can. I’ll show you. Lean back and I’ll help you float.” Jack said as they reached a shallow area where he could touch the bottom.   
Autum leaned back and Jack placed his hand on her back to support her in the water. She was fidgeting a little, her body trying to balance herself.  
“Don’t wiggle. Just be still.” He said and she obeyed.  
He held his palm on the small of her back to help her float until she got the hang of it. Autum laughed happily as she floated and Jack smiled letting her float all by herself.  
“See piece of cake.” He said and then joined her in floating and they watched the stars for a bit.  
When the moon was high Autum turned upright and Jack looked at her.  
“I want to show you something behind the waterfall.” She said and he followed.   
Autum swam for the waterfall and then dove to go under the falls. Jack followed and they came up into and open cave. The cave opening wasn’t big but there was a flat surface to stand on. It was darker under the falls but there was a strange glow coming from deep in the cave. Jack was instantly curious by the light and followed Autum. They traveled a little ways through the tunnel and the light got brighter. They came out into a small cavern that was almost as bright as day accept there was a blue green tint to everything from thousands of sparkling areas of the cavern. Straight up to the top of the cavern it opened up to the surface which wasn’t very far because it was a small mountain. The moon like shined down and seemed to give the walls their glow.  
“There’s a sort of mineral in the walls that makes it glow.” Autum said.  
Jack was amazed and looked around in awe. As Jack jumped around examining the walls Autum began to notice just how cold the air was with her being soaking wet, especially in the cave the air was even colder. When she had first found the cave she had found a stone path behind the falls. She had never swam in the lake before, for that matter. Autum started to shiver and she wrapped her arms around herself. She tried to hide being cold from Jack because he was having such a good time but you couldn’t hide cold from him. He looked down at her and she tried not to seem cold but he noticed. He flew down to her and could tell she was trying not to shiver.  
“You’re cold. Why didn’t you say something?” He said.  
“I’m fine really.” She lied.  
He raised en eye brow at her.  
“I can tell you’re forcing yourself not to shiver. Come on lets get you back to your tree house and into dry clothes.” He said and she nodded.  
She led the way through the secret path behind the falls.  
“Oh, see we can come back wearing clothes.” Jack noted.  
Once out of the cave Jack flew to get his clothes and staff, throwing on his shirt. He of course was already dry by freezing the water off like snow. Jack caught up to Autum at the tree house. She went to change into dry clothes and Jack casually looked around again. He spotted a soft blanket hanging over the back of the couch in front of the magic fireplace and waited. It didn’t take long for Autum to return. She smiled when she saw Jack holding the blanket and went over to him. He placed the blanket over her shoulders and wrapped it around her. He rubbed his hands on her arms trying to warm her with frictions a little. Autum smiled and blushed slightly.  
“Thank you. I’m warm again.” Autum said.  
She suddenly had the courage to tell Jack something.  
“Jack?” Autum asked as she shyly kept her gaze away from his.  
“Hm?” He responded but Autum became embarrassed and shook her head a little.  
“It’s nothing. Never mind.” She said.  
Curious now Jack wouldn’t let it go.  
“No please tell me. What is it?” He asked.  
“I really like being with you Jack.” She said, her head still bowed.  
He lifted her head with a finger under her chin.  
“So do I. I don’t want to be apart from you.” He told her.  
Autum was surprised and stared into his blue eyes. Jack still had his finger under her chin and couldn’t stop himself from brushing his fingers along her cheek. His touch was cold but not too cold. It was refreshing. It felt as though he had touched cold stone and then had touched her face. To Autum his frosty touch was enjoyable and she welcomed it. Since first sight they had been drawn to each other, and it grew stronger every day. His bright blue eyes froze her to his eyes as he bright green eyes memorized him. Drawn by some invisible force that seemed to know they were made for each other they inched closer. On instinct their eyes drooped and heads tilted opposite until their lips met. Once their lips met it was all instinct. Drawn to each other to kiss even longer but even spirits needed the comfort of breathing. They parted, short of breath. As Jack’s head came back from the clouds he worried that his touch and kiss were too cold for Autum.  
“I’m sorry. Am I too cold for you?” He asked.  
“No, you’re perfect. I’m perfectly warm now.” She said as she looked into his eyes, blushing. “Please don’t stop.” She said as she blushed deeper.  
Jack smirked and obliged her. The blanket dropped from her shoulders as he pulled her close for another kiss.  
Unfortunately they had do stop at some point. It was late and Autum was finally remembering that she hadn’t slept all winter. They didn’t need to sleep everyday but it was good for them to rest every now and then. Jack could tell how tired she suddenly seemed and became worried.  
“Are you alright?” He asked.  
“Yes. It’s just that I haven’t slept all winter. I was too excited.” She said.   
Jack chuckled and motioned for her to go to her bed.  
“I’ll tuck you in.” He said.  
“But we were supposed to have fun!” She objected.  
“There will be plenty of time for that after you’ve rested.” Jack told her.  
“Will you stay with me?” She asked.  
“Of course.” He replied.  
She got into bed and Jack joined her, wrapping his arms around her. Autum quickly drifted off to sleep and Jack wasn’t far behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jack slept for a while but not as long as Autum. Jack wandered around, never too far away and often stayed in the tree house looking over Autum’s many books filled with leaves from all over the world and through a vast timeline.   
Autum awoke shortly into summer and Jack was there to greet her.  
“Good Morning sleepy head.” He said.  
“How long did I sleep?”  
“It’s just into summer.” He replied.  
Autum seemed disappointed and shot up egar to make up for lost time.  
“I’m so sorry.” She said quickly.  
“Don’t be. You’re awake now.”  
“You must have been so bored.” She said but he shook his head.  
They indeed made up for lost time and soon it was fall on the mainland, where they continued their fun and blossomed their relationship further. Before they knew it, it was winter again and Autum remembered she had asked Jack to look for her brother.  
“I’m sure I’ll find him and I’ll ask him about the missing pages.” Jack said and they parted after a sweet goodbye kiss.  
Autum was anxious to hear from Jack but forced herself to rest so that they could spend as much time together as they could.  
Jack returned but had no news of Autum’s brother Winter. Jack had traveled to every cold climate but there was no sign of Winter. There was just blizzard cold everywhere. It was a harsh winter.  
“The snow was rough this year. Perhaps it was supposed to be a cold winter and he was busy.” Jack said but Autum was concerned.  
Winter dictated over the winter weather. Blizzard helped her brother bring snow to the land but he was terribly cold and often pushed his snow further than he should every chance he got. Jack could tell Autum was worried an placed his index finger under her chin. She looked into his eyes.  
“Don’t worry. I’ll check again next year.” Jack said and Autum nodded.  
Before they knew it, it was autumn again. Jack knew Autum was still worried and managed to take her mind off of it which he was so good at. They both let the concerns of her brother’s absence slip from their minds. Though something else crept up on them. Jack and Autum were having fun changing the leaves when suddenly something stopped them in their tracks. A whole section of forest was frozen and covered in thick snow before Autum had even changed the leaves. Autum was in shock. Jack was worried of what this meant.   
“Was this… your brother?” Jack asked cautiously.  
“No… this was Blizzard… what has he done.” She said in tears.  
“Blizzard?”  
“He helps my brother bring the snow to the lands… but he’s not allowed to do this… These trees might not survive!” Autum said sadly with tears in her eyes.  
Jack put his arm around her shoulders. Without warning the wind picked up and snow began to fall very rapidly. The wind had knocked them both down into a snow pile. The falling snow was getting thick. Jack went to Autum’s side. Autum looked around and saw everything was covered in snow. All of the leaves she had yet to change were under thick snow as well. Autum realized what was going on as she started to shiver.  
“It’s a trap.” She said.  
“What?”  
“This was a trap for me! Jack… get me out of the snow!” Autum pleaded.  
The desperation in her voice made Jack worried. He helped her up and they started walking through the blizzard. Jack frantically looked around for a place as Autum shivered. After only a few steps she couldn’t walk anymore. Jack picked her up into his arms and flew around. At last he found a hollow tree big enough for them to fit into. He rushed in and set Autum down. He then turned to block the opening with his frost. The storm howled outside but Jack’s frost was keeping the wind out. Jack turned to Autum. She was slumped against the tree wall holding her arms and shivering. Despite being a spirit the cold could hurt her. It could throw off the balance of the Earth’s seasons forever. Jack went to her side, full of concern but he was afraid to touch her. He’d only make her colder. Her color was getting pale; he had to think of something. He looked around in the empty tree and he spotted the opening. His frost… and it came to him. Her words when they first met. Jack turned to her and placed his hand over her leg. His frost started to cover her. Startled, she looked at him fearfully.  
“Jack…what.”  
“Trust me.” He told her and she nodded.  
His frost covered her like a blanket. It was cold at first but Autum began to get warm. Her color was even returning. Autum was confused.  
“How?” She asked.  
“Like you said when we first met. My frost is like a protective blanket.” He said and she smiled. “We’ll wait out the storm until morning.” Jack said as he sat back against the tree next to her.   
She snuggled up against his shoulder.  
“Get some rest.” He told her.  
By morning Blizzard’s storm had subsided. Jack moved to check outside and Autum stirred. Jack was glad his frost had kept her arm but she was tired and weak. He knew she’d never make it off the main land with it so cold. Jack went to the opening to peek outside. Everything was white. He had never seen so much snow. He could also see some green trees Autum had not gotten to change and frowned. Autum awoke and saw the frown on his face.   
“What… what is it?” She asked but he couldn’t answer her.   
It was staying fairly warm in their hollow tree with Jack’s frost and Autum had the strength to stand. His frost blanket fell to the ground in fine powder as she stood. He quickly went to her side to steady her.  
“Don’t.” He said, trying to stop her.  
“I have to see.” She insisted.  
Autum peeked out of the tree’s hole that had frozen over in ice from Jack’s frost. She could clearly see what Jack had seen. Trees that were still green, their leaves dieing from the cold. The trees might not be saved come spring. Over come with grief Autum turned to Jack with tears in her eyes. Jack wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face into his chest crying a little out of fear.  
“We’re no match for Blizzard if he finds us.” She said in defeat.   
Jack wasn’t going to let her give up. He pushed her back slightly to look into her eyes. He took her face into his hands.  
“I will protect you.” He said with hope and she had confidence in him.  
“What are we going to do? I cant leave on my own and you’re not strong enough to fly us both off the mainland.” She said.  
“I’ll find your brother.” He said.  
“What!?” She asked, fearful that he was suggesting leaving her there alone.  
“I’ll be alright. I’m sure Blizzard doesn’t know about me. I can sneak around. I know if I follow him I’ll find your brother. Blizzard can blow all the cold he wants at me and it hurt me. You’ll be safe and warm here.” He said but she was still worried.  
She didn’t want to be alone again.  
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll be back.” He said as he pressed his lips to hers.   
He held her close as he kissed her. Autum’s heart hurt, his embrace felt desperate and unsure of the outcome of the plan. He stopped kissing her and started making her a frost outfit to protect her. It was an elaborate dress, covering her own. The dress covered her leaf like clothing as it did the leaves of the trees. It hugged her in the chest and waist; tapering down, flowing past her feet. The sleeves hugged her arms and also had an outer sleeve that drapped down so she could use as an extra blanket if needed. He also fashioned a cloak with a hood.  
“Jack… I’m scared.” She whispered.  
“I know… but it’ll be alright. I promise.” He said as he held her cheek in his palm.  
Lacing his fingers into her hair he covered her hair in frost. Her hair glittered in the dim light. He grinned as the frost in her hair made it look like his hair.  
“Stay here. My frost should keep you hidden from him but the sun might melt it. I’ll be back in a jiff.” He said as he kissed her deeply once again.  
He stepped away and looked up. There was an exit at the top of the tree. He flew up and looked back down at her.  
“Be safe.” She said.  
He smiled.  
“I will. I love you.” He said and departed quickly.  
She was touched by his words but couldn’t help but worry. She could still hear an uncertainty in his voice.  
Autum waited and waited for Jack to return, but it was growing dark. Another storm was coming in. Autum’s heart pounded, she could feel the cold coming. A figure passed in front of the ice covered hole in the tree. For a split second she thought it was Jack, but she was wrong.


End file.
